Amber, 'sweet as pie', goes to her new home

Dog, throat slashed and left for dead, expected to make complete recovery

The Sorrells pose with their newest family member, Amber, a six-year-old Australian Shepherd mix whose former owner had stabbed and slashed her throat last week. "She chose me, I didn't choose her," said Dan Sorrells, the St. Johns County Sheriff's deputy who found Amber in the woods after the attack. "She's going to fit right in with our family." Left to right are Ashley Sorrells, Dan Sorrells and Mia Sorrells. (Photo by Douglas Jordan)

Life has made a complete turnaround for Amber, the dog who was stabbed by her owner on Jan. 14 and left to die in the woods in the northwestern part of St. Johns County.

On Monday morning, Amber went home with her new family: Dan Sorrells, his wife, Mia, and their daughter, Ashley.

Sorrells is the St. Johns County Sheriff’s deputy who found Amber shortly after she was dragged, howling, into the woods by her former owner, Randal Bryen Hart, 28, near his mobile home in the 8400 block of North County Road 13.

Hart told deputies at the time that the dog, which had initially been incorrectly identified as a Saint Bernard mix, had attacked a kitten and had to be “put down,” but there was no evidence to support that claim, Sorrells said. Hart, who relinquished ownership of the dog at the scene, was charged with animal cruelty and as of Monday is in the St. Johns County Jail, in lieu of a $5,000 bond.

But if Amber has any memory of that traumatic experience, it seems forgotten now. She wagged her tail enthusiastically with everybody at Atlantic Veterinary Hospital in Jacksonville, where she was taken for treatment.

“She’s sweet as pie,” said Dr. Herb Loeman, the veterinarian who treated her and even took her into his own home over the weekend. “This is not an aggressive animal, not in the least.” Though her injuries, including puncture wounds on her chest and a long gash along her neck, will take a few weeks to heal, Amber will make a full recovery, Loeman said. “Once the fur grows back on her neck, you’ll never even know it was there,” he said. “And as far as her attitude, you’d never know she experienced such a horrible thing. She’s a very lucky dog, actually. Somehow, (Hart) missed hitting any vital organs when he stabbed her. Medically speaking, she really should be dead.”

Sorrells said he had no idea what could have possessed him to stab Amber and slash her throat.

“We’re still trying to wrap our heads around it,” Sorrells said. “We just don’t have a clue.”

Not at all aggressive

Though he has been portrayed as the hero in the newspaper in the week since the incident, Sorrells, who has been a St. Johns County deputy for 13 years, is quick to point out that Amber’s rescue was a team effort.

“This is not about me,” he said. “There were a lot of people involved, including my partner, Deputy Bobby Kukar, who did everything I did.”

They were also assisted by St. Johns County Animal Control crew chief Ed Martin, Sorrells said.

Sorrells said that when Kukar and he showed up on the scene, they thought they were searching for a dead dog, based on the testimony provided by Hart’s roommates, Clayton Roman, 47, and Adrian Bouchot, 52, who told Sorrells and an animal control officer they saw Hart stab the dog repeatedly, then drag it into the woods.

The two deputies searched the wooded area beyond the mobile home for about 45 minutes. Then, after Sorrells asked one of the roommates what the dog’s name was, he began calling her.

“She finally came walking out of the tall grass,” Sorrells said. “Bobby was calling her, and I was calling her, and she came to me. She was very friendly, which wasn’t what I expected. She was obviously hurt and in distress, but she wasn’t aggressive at all, in fact, she followed me right to the (animal control) truck.”

As the deputies walked back to the scene, Sorrells said he and his partner looked at each other.

“I said, ‘This is a good dog,’ and he said yes she is,” Sorrells said. “That’s when I decided I was going to try to adopt her. Bobby told me if I hadn’t done it, he would have. If you’re in the right place at the right time, you must act, and do what’s right.”

He just had one call to make, first.

“Dan called me and asked me if I’d mind another girl coming to live with us,” Mia Sorrells said. “He said, ‘She’s got the most beautiful brown eyes,’ and I said, ‘It’s a dog, isn’t it?’ She’s very affectionate and we’re excited to have her join our family.”

Community reached out

Sorrells said he and Kukar had agreed to split the expenses on the medical treatment. They didn’t have to do that, though. Once word got out about Amber, offers to help started pouring in, Loeman said.

“It was amazing, really,” Loeman said. “We were getting calls from all over offering money. How great is that?”

Loeman said by the time they’d received more than $2,000, which was more than enough to cover the medical costs, they started turning people away.

Amber will be on antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs for a few weeks, and will have to come back in to get her stitches out in a week, Loeman said. “Other than that, she’s good to go,” he said.

Amber even has her own Facebook page, “Amber the Dog,” created last week by Sorrells’ daughter, Ashley, and the page has already picked up more than 700 likes, with comments coming in from all around the world.

“I’m currently deployed to Afghanistan and I started my day a few days ago with my coffee,” posted Mark Holtrop Sr. “I was lucky to catch this wonderful story. Though it was sad to start, seeing the love that Dan has naturally displayed has warmed my heart. I live in Clay County and seeing this miracle so close to home means so much more. Get well soon Amber and Dan, you are a hero to many. God Bless you all.”

And since the story first broke, the Facebook page for the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office has exploded, said Sheriff’s spokesperson Catherine Payne.

“Just in the last week, we’ve picked up more than 300 likes, mostly attributed to this story,” Payne said.

Sorrells said Amber would fit right in with the family’s other two dogs, both rescues as well, and that she’d love their huge back yard.

“I’m extremely excited about her coming home with us,” said Ashley, 19. “I’ve been anticipating this all week.”

As the family loaded Amber into their vehicle to head home, Loeman gave her one last scratch on the head.

“Whether you’re religious or not, you have to know dogs have to have been put on this earth to make humans happy,” Loeman said. “She’s a special dog, and she’s going to a special home.”

ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here and for
following agreed-upon rules of civility. Posts and
comments do not reflect the views of this site. Posts and comments are
automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some
comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules,
click the "Flag as offensive" link below the comment.

I love this story too, and was happy to see it on the front page. Sometimes it's hard to believe in people and their true intentions. I love Deputy Sorrells quote: "If you’re in the right place at the right time, you must act, and do what’s right." Bravo to you! Enjoy your new family member! (she looks great!)

It is hard to imagine why this young man was so violent towards this dog. It would seem this "animal cruelty" charge may be the impetus for this young man to get a much-needed mental health evaluation. Fortunately, this dog was not critically injured, and fortunately it was not a child or another person who was the object of this violent attack.

I hope the criminal justice system will take this very seriously and require this young man to receive counseling, treatment, and be monitored for a very long time.

This should not be a 60 days in jail and then you are free to go about your business situation, or there is likely to be a worse tragedy in the future.